"Jude, we need you again," Dawn called, interrupting his thoughts.
He stepped forward, mentally chastising himself for his wandering attention. "What do you need me to do?"
“Go on the attack," Dawn said. "I think we need to practice breaking holds of someone larger now."
For the next hour, Jude played the role of attacker while Dawn and Annie taught Angela and Kiara various defensive techniques. By the end, their faces were flushed from exertion, but they looked pleased with their progress. Especially Kiara.
He was proud of Angela for continuing to engage in the training, even though it was clear that she wasn’t entirely comfortable with it the way Kiara was.
"You both did well for your first session," Jude said as they took a water break. "We'll practice again tomorrow."
"Really?" Kiara asked, excitement clear in her voice despite her fatigue. "Daily lessons?"
"For the first little while, yes," Jude confirmed. "Then we'll scale back these practices and move on to something else. The more you practice, the more instinctive these movements become."
“Driving next, right?” Kiara asked eagerly.
“Yes, driving.”
“I can’t wait to learn,” Kiara said.
Angela took a long drink from her water bottle, her gaze flicking between Jude and Annie. "Will you both be teaching us the self-defense stuff each time?"
"I should be here most of the time," Jude said, then glanced at Annie, who was checking her phone again. "Annie?"
She looked up, slightly startled. "Sorry, what?"
"Will you be able to help with training tomorrow?"
Annie hesitated. "Maybe." She slipped her phone into her pocket. “I need to go now, but I’ll let you know later about tomorrow.”
“I’ll go with you,” Dawn said.
“No need,” Annie told her with a wave of her hand. “I’m just going home.”
Dawn glanced at Jude, who just gave a single nod, accepting Annie’s desire to be on her own. Since they were on the estate, she was safe.
Jude watched her go, making note again of her distance. Something was definitely going on with her.
"How did we do?" Angela asked as she approached him while Dawn and Kiara discussed a particular technique a few feet away.
Letting thoughts of Annie go for the moment, Jude gave Angela a smile. "Better than I expected for a first session. Especially you."
"Me?" Surprise colored her voice.
"Yes. I could see how uncomfortable you were at the beginning, but you pushed through it. That takes courage."
A flush spread across her cheeks that had nothing to do with exertion. "It doesn't feel like courage. It feels like… survival."
Jude was drawn to her strength. To the way she'd found the determination to fight back despite everything she'd endured. "Sometimes those are the same thing."
Their gazes held for a moment longer than professional courtesy would dictate, and Jude felt that familiar tightening in his chest. He needed to step back, maintain boundaries. But something about Angela made that increasingly difficult.
"We should head back," he said, his voice rougher than intended.
"Of course." Angela stepped away, the moment broken. However, Jude caught the flash of disappointment in her expression before she turned toward Kiara.
As they gathered up their things, Jude couldn't shake the feeling that his carefully ordered world was shifting in ways he hadn't expected. And he wasn’t sure how to handle it.
